Allied Warships

USS California (BB 44)

Battleship of the Tennessee class


USS California as seen late in the war.

NavyThe US Navy
TypeBattleship
ClassTennessee 
PennantBB 44 
Built byMare Island Navy Yard (Vallejo, California, U.S.A.) 
Ordered 
Laid down25 Oct 1916 
Launched20 Nov 1919 
Commissioned10 Aug 1921 
End service14 Feb 1947 
History

USS California (Capt. J.W. Bunkley) was at Battleship Row at Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941 and was sunk during the attack. 98 of her crew died and 61 were wounded.

She was raised and was finally dry again on 25 March, 1942. She returned to action off Saipan in June 1944.

Decommissioned 14 February 1947.
Stricken 1 March 1959.
Sold 10 July 1959 and scrapped at Baltimore.

 

Commands listed for USS California (BB 44)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1Capt. Harold Medberry Bemis, Jr., USN15 Jun 193919 Dec 1940
2Cdr. Robert Bostwick Carney, USN19 Dec 194031 Dec 1940
3Capt. Joel William Bunkley, USN31 Dec 194019 Feb 1942
4Charles A. Peterson, USN19 Feb 194220 Mar 1942
5Cdr. John Ford Warris, USN20 Mar 194220 Apr 1943
6Cdr. Robert Paul Wadell, USN20 Apr 19431 Nov 1943
7Capt. Henry Poynter Burnett, USN1 Nov 194328 Nov 1944
8Capt. Samuel Bragg Brewer, USN28 Nov 194412 Oct 1945
9T/Capt. Lunsford Yandell Mason, Jr., USN12 Oct 194528 Mar 1946

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